NEWS
FLASH:
May 16, 2006
Migration
is complete for young #516, but not on his own wing power. He was retrieved from
a flooded backyard in Eaton County, Michigan at 2:02 CDT on May 16. A small private
plane transported him to Necedah NWR in Wisconsin. Welcome home, #516! His buddy
#522 remains in Michigan, the only crane kid still not home from last fall's
ultralight-led chicks.

FINAL
Whooping Crane Migration Update: May 12, 2006
Good news! With the capture and return of #520, all but two of
the 19 crane kids are safely home. Sara shares her photos and story. The rescued
eggs of #213 and #218 have hatached the Eastern Flock's own first baby chicks!
More
eggs are hatching, and you'll meet the chicks when they fly south with the
ultralights next fall. Meanwhile, the Western flock begins nesting in what we
hope will be a better year than last. Tom Stehn's important message leaves us
with a worthy mission for all, and our create-a-caption activity is a preview
of fall fun.

Whooping
Crane Migration Update: May 5, 2006
DAR #532, not detected since March, is home! Today Sara is off to New York
to capture
chick
#520
and
wayward
#309,
the
one
who
led
him
astray. Whooping crane eggs are traveling, too—to the captive
breeding center in Maryland. Soon they'll hatch and become the next group of
chicks to migrate with the ultralight planes this fall. Western flock: Just 6
cranes
are
left
at
Aransas,
and it looks
like
they're due for a molt. Meanwhile, last year's young will separate from their
parents and go off on their own.

Whooping
Crane Migration Update: April 28, 2006
The first whoopers of the Western flock have reached the nesting grounds in
Canada! Only 7 remain in Texas. In Eastern flock news, DAR chick #528 is back
home, but #520 and his wayward leader #309 moved to Vermont.
Why is
it
imporant
to bring
this
chick
back
to Wisconsin?
We've
been
watching five nests, but only one remains. Find out
what happened to them, and don't miss the discussion of last week's CQ #10.

Whooping
Crane Migration Update: April 21, 2006
Celebrate the homecoming of 2 more crane-kids plus a few Eastern adult cranes
back from the unknown! Another nest is underway, but our photo shows what happened
to one pair's eggs. In the Western flock, All but 12 whoopers are underway; the
first migrants should arrive on the breeding grounds in Canada's Northwest Territories
this week. Capture plans are being laid for wayward cranes, and there's a mystery
to solve in our new lesson.

Whooping
Crane Migration Update: April 14, 2006
Another amazing week! Right on schedule, nearly half of the Texas flock left
for
Canada
this
week, and a few earlier cranes crossed into Canada.
The
Eastern
flock
has four pairs sitting on nests in Wisconsin. Will 2006 bring the
first chicks? Two wayward Michigan cranes made
it across (or around?) Lake Michigan to their Wisconsin home, and two other
"missing" birds turned
up
there, too. The first
egg
for next fall's ultralight-led flock was laid in a captive breeding center in
Maryland. Wow!

Whooping
Crane Migration Update: April 7, 2006
What a week for whoopers! On April 3, the first of four Direct Autumn Release
(DAR) cranes successfully returned to Wisconsin. All Eastern flock chicks and
the other 45 adults are on migration, but the 14 chicks flying together overflew
their summer home on April 6, and 4 others are off course. The Western flock’s
migration has 77 whoopers underway to Canada. Catch photos and excitement in
today’s report!

Whooping
Crane Migration Update: March 31, 2006
"Eighteen whoopers soaring their way up to Georgia must have been an amazing
sight
for anyone lucky enough to have spotted them," exclaims tracker Mark Nipper.
At this writing, 19 chicks are in Georgia and Tennessee, and an estimated 19
Western cranes are heading for Canada. The race is on! Meanwhile, wayward #309
and
one chick have us guessing whether they'll make it to Wisconsin. Why?

NEWS
FLASH! Crane Chicks Begin First Journey North
They were led to Florida by ultralight planes last fall but are migrating on
their
own
this
spring!
Two
left
yesterday
and
the
remaining
18
crane-kids
left
today, March 28. Will these unassisted chicks find suitable and safe stopover
sites? Will they find their way back to their summer home in Wisconsin? How long
will the journey
take? They're OFF—and the suspense begins!

Whooping
Crane Migration Update: March 24, 2006
The HY2005 ultralight-led
chicks are still on the wintering grounds. Which 3 wear satellite tracking
devices?
Meanwhile,
several
of
the
Eastern
flock’s
"white" (older)
birds
are
already home in Wisconsin. In Texas, some of the Western flock have departed
on the
2,500-mile migration to Canada, but drought is affecting the flock. See answers
to last week's Craniac Treasure Hunt, and check the whereabouts of the world's
wild whoopers.

Whooping
Crane Migration Update: March 10, 2006
What?! Two chicks already migrating? They aren't the ultralight -led chicks in
Florida,
so who are they? Twelve adult
Eastern cranes are also migrating! Get to
know
the
flock
with
our
Craniac
Treasure Hunt using their life stories. Climb
into
Tom's
airplane
and
see
how
many
whoopers
you can
you
count
from the air. And use the banding codes to see how many Florida cranes
you
can
identify.

Whooping
Crane Migration Update: February 24, 2006
They stand nearly five feet tall with wingspans wider than most
cars. Right now, the world's 280 migratory whooping cranes (in
two
flocks) are on their wintering grounds. Hear them call! Visit both
flocks with our field notes and photos. Download your official
journals,
make your map of their habitats, and get ready for the journey
north!